how to get rid of scrub marks?

Hi all, i scraged my rear arch against my gate, and it left black paint from the gate down the arch of my *metalic silver* paintwork. It was scratching off, but i thought it'd be easier with a brilo, so i went to work, got all the black off, whilst it was wet didn't notice, went back when it dried and the whole area is just dull, with tiny circular scrub marks. Is there anything to solve this, what have i done?! cheers

I knew i'd get smart ass comments for brilloing the car! lol. Well i tried scraping it off with my nail which shifted it slightly, but it just wasn't budging, i tried course sponges, everything, i had no other choice, i wasn't aware of the consequences! Some please aid me, i need to fix these dodgy looking scrub marks! cheers

I've just realised what a brillo pad actually is! isn't it once of those metal cleaning aids? if it is, it wasn't that! It was one of those sponges with a normal yellow sponge with a green rougher side to it i used.

When you say try it in 3 or 4 goes, what does that mean? t cut it, leave it,(how long?), then t cut it again? Some people have suggestion cutting compound, then t cut, does this sound right? If the paintwork is dull over the scratches, does that mean i have taken the laquer away? and will t cutting restore the shine to the paintwork? cheers!

Ross, I had someone shunt back and fore to get in a parking space recently. Unfortunately, the one behind was mine. Left me with little swirl marks on my front bumper. Get yourself some 3M Finnesse It.
Its a very fine cut. T cut is very abrasive and can quite easily cut through factory laquer.
Most good paint factors should stock the 3M range.

Excellent, there's some light at the end of the tunnel! The other thing i've got tot try and sort is a small chip created by this accident, it's 2mm x 3mm it looks like it's gone down to primer, i've got one of those scratch/chip repair kits from halfords, i must say the colour match doesn't look very good, but i've got to try and sort it. Do i just fill the chip until it's level with the paintwork and apply a small amount of laquer over it? cheers for the help lads

...But I'm inclined to agree with DickyS3, it probably does look a lot worse than it actually is at the moment (if the photo is 'true-to-fact')...

In terms of remedies; I really wouldn't jump-in with a buffer yourself just yet... If you're going to do anything yourself, I'd stick to doing things by hand, and VERY gently at first (until you've seen how the results are going)...

I'm honestly not trying to give you any more direct pain about the decision to use a scouring-pad (alas, it's still a scourer if it's sponge and nylon - the nylon side of those really is remarkably coarse); but a buffer is one of those things where the quality of results is proportional to amount of experience. I guess that you wouldn't have used the scourer if you had a lot of experience with a buffer; and I'd say that to bring some lustre back to that finish will require quite a lot of experience/skill/care (whatever you want to call it) if it's going to be done using a buffer/polisher without needing to be completely re-finished.

I'd guess it is probably going to need a machine polish at some stage if it's going to be perfect, but it needs a proper polisher, with proper heads, and more importantly proper compound finished off with proper glaze. All stuff you can get hold of and do yourself; but as I've said, it's not just stuff you can pick up and immediately get spot-on; and the thing is, I've always been taught by my mates in the bodywork trade, that when treating paintwork, the more damage there is the softer/more accurate your repair work needs to be.

In simple terms, you don't have enough clear-coat / lacqeur left there to get it wrong... Add to that the fact you've got quite a distinct line between the undamaged area and the damaged, so your blend will have to be tight...

Considering what you could spend buying compound and glaze, and probably a decent head for the polisher, even if the polisher you have access to is of a good standard (meaning you don't have to buy/hire one), you'll probably have spent the same amount of money as taking it down to a bodyshop and saying "please make that shine again" but with the added risk of it going horribly wrong and burning right through the last of the finish that's there...

I'd get a couple of quotes for repairs if you have places nearby, and once you've heard them consider whether doing the job yourself is the better option.

Looking at the photo again, I *might* have a bash at it myself, but I've used more bottles of t-cut/paint finish restorer/scratch-x than I care to remember, and more recently have been getting to grips with a polisher and the products/techniques (but I had an old bonnet to practice A LOT on /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif) - but still, if I took it to a bodyshop and the quote was reasonable (and I don't think you'll be charged a lot to repair that), I'd let them take responsibility to get it right...

Excellent replies thank you. I've given chipsaway a ring and they are coming to have a look at it. He basically said anywhere i can run water over and the surface appears glossy it would be possible to polish, otherwise it's paint!

I did the test and there's a small area about 3x3cm where water doesn't get rid of the scrub, so spraying it is i guess? how much do you think chipsaway will charge for damage that size? cheers

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